Politicking at the Red Arrow Diner

After a long day of canvassing, there is nothing better than a piping hot bowl of chicken noodle soup. Thankfully, good cuisine was to be had at the Red Arrow Diner, a hole-in-the-wall of sorts a few of my fellow interns and I tumbled into late one evening. Happy simply at the prospect of a filling meal and a much needed break from politicking, I was surprised to find that the diner’s walls were covered in photos of the chefs with political candidates. President Obama, Secretary Hillary Clinton, and many others all smiled merrily out of their frames. In addition, along the long countertops, engraved place markers indicated where famed politicians had once sat, enjoying a burger and fries. I sat just two stools down from President Obama. Underneath the counters were dozens of sturdy CSPAN mugs with the slogan “ketchup on politics” around the bottom edge. Most, fitting, however, was the license plate with “1st in nation primary,” emblazoned right above “the Live Free or Die” state motto. Politics, it seems, never leaves a true Granite Stater, even at the diner stool.

Gabrielle Simeck is a St. Olaf sophomore from Chicago, IL majoring in political science. She is studying campaign politics and election cycles in New Hampshire as part of a St. Olaf program examining the 2016 presidential election.

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